"Are you ready to lose your virginity or what?"
Shaun nearly choked on air. His head snapped up to find Lily standing there in the middle of the corridor like she'd just asked about the weather. Students were streaming past, and he was pretty sure half of them had heard her.
"Why are you... why are you shouting that?" His voice cracked slightly as his eyes darted around. A group of girls near the lockers were already whispering, and two guys from his economics class were smirking in their direction.
Lily crossed her arms, her expression flat as concrete. "So are you doing this or not? I don't have all day."
She had that look again. The one that made it clear she'd rather be anywhere else, doing anything else, with anyone else. Her dark hair caught the fluorescent lighting, framing a face that half the campus would kill to wake up next to. And somehow, inexplicably, she was here talking to him.
"Listen, Shaun." Her voice dropped, but the venom didn't. "Let's get one thing straight. I'm only doing this because you're pathetic enough that I actually feel bad for you. Don't think for a second that this makes us friends or that I give a damn about you beyond this one favor." She paused, her jaw tightening slightly. "Besides, watching you fail at everything reminds me that at least I'm not rock bottom."
The words hit like a slap, but he managed to nod. "I... I want to. Do this, I mean."
"Fine. Your place or are we getting a hotel? Because there's no way in hell I'm bringing you to mine. My parents could call pest control."
Shaun felt heat rise in his cheeks. At six-foot-one, he should have felt imposing, but his rail-thin frame and mess of white hair made him look more like a scarecrow than a man. He was pathetic at sports, worse at socializing, and his academic performance was mediocre at best. The fact that Lily was even acknowledging his existence felt like a miracle he didn't deserve.
A hotel? He could barely afford gas money, let alone a room.
"My house," he said quietly. "We can go to my house."
Lily's eyes narrowed. "Let me scan you again first. Make sure you're still a virgin."
"You already scanned me last week when I asked you about this," Shaun protested weakly.
"I want to confirm. Stats can change." She pulled out her phone, already opening the scanner app.
Shaun sighed and pressed his index finger against the small cube embedded in his chest. The Vital Seal responded with a soft beep, revealing the barcode that would display his most intimate statistics.
"Still makes me sick," Lily muttered, watching the device. "Everyone walking around with their entire worth stamped into their chest like cattle."
"You don't like the system either?"
"I like winning," she said curtly. "Doesn't mean I have to like the game." She held up her phone, the scanner beeping as it read his information. Her eyebrows shot up slightly as she read the display.
"Still a virgin," she confirmed, her tone almost impressed by how thoroughly untouched he was. "Twenty years old and not even a single encounter logged. That's actually kind of remarkable."
The casual cruelty in her voice made his stomach twist.
"Do you want me to confirm yours?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.
"No, it doesn't matter." And it really didn't. Everyone on campus knew Lily's reputation. Her Vital Seal would show a sweetness rating that had made her previous boyfriends the envy of every guy in their social circle. The girl was legendary for a reason.
"Alright, let's go." She was already turning away from him, her bag slung over her shoulder.
"Now?" The word came out higher than he intended.
She looked back at him like he'd asked if water was wet. "Yes, now. Meet me at the marketplace parking lot near campus in ten minutes. I'll be in the black sedan." Her expression darkened. "And I don't want anyone seeing us walk there together, so you take a different route."
Without waiting for a response, she started walking away, her footsteps echoing in the corridor.
"Don't you dare make me wait, Shaun. I mean it."
"Okay," he called after her, but she was already disappearing around the corner.
"Bitch," he muttered under his breath, though there was no real anger in it. More like resignation.
Shaun walked through the crowded hallway toward the marketplace parking lot, taking the long route as Lily had demanded. His heart was pounding.
'What if I mess this up? What if she changes her mind?'
"Well shit, look what we got here."
Shaun's stomach dropped. Derek Jameson pushed off the wall, his crew spreading out to block the hallway. Derek was built like he ate protein powder for breakfast and had the kind of confidence that came with perfect stats.
"Virgin Boy's walking somewhere important," Derek said, grinning. "This is new."
'Don't look at them. Just walk past.' But Shaun's feet had already stopped moving.
"I... I need to get somewhere," Shaun mumbled, his voice barely audible.
"What's that? Speak up, man." Derek stepped closer, and Shaun instinctively flinched. The movement made Jake snort with laughter. One of Derek bodies.
"Still jumpy, huh?" Jake said. "Remember when we—"
"Yeah, I remember," Derek cut him off, but his eyes stayed on Shaun. "So where you heading, Virgin? Got yourself another job interview to bomb?"
Derek's hand shot out and shoved Shaun's head to the side. Not hard enough to really hurt, but enough to remind him exactly where he stood in the pecking order. Shaun stumbled slightly, his face burning with humiliation.
'Please don't.. . I need to be in healthy shape.'
"Check his stats," Derek said casually. "Make sure our boy hasn't been lying to us."
"No, please..." Shaun's voice cracked. "I just need to—"
But Jake already had his scanner out. "Come on, Virgin. You know the drill."
Shaun's hands shook as he pressed his finger to his seal. The familiar beep felt like a death sentence.
Jake's face lit up. "Shit, guys. Still zeros across the board. Twenty fucking years old and this dude's never even held hands with a girl."
The crowd that had gathered erupted in laughter. Shaun caught fragments of whispers: "...how is that even possible..." "...my little brother's got better numbers..."
"Here's some free advice," Derek said, his voice mock-sympathetic. "Whatever girl you somehow tricked into this charity case? She's gonna destroy you. You'll probably start crying before you even get your shirt off."
Derek gave him another shove, this one to the chest, and Shaun stumbled backward.
"And when she gives you that one-star review, you can kiss goodbye to any decent job. Hell, even the gas station won't want someone who can't even fuck a bitch."
'He's right. What if I really can't do this? What if I just make everything worse?'
The group started to move on, but Derek leaned in close. "Face it, Virgin. Some people are just born losers. That's you."
They walked away laughing, leaving Shaun standing there with his face on fire and his confidence in pieces.
'Maybe I should just go home. Tell her I'm sick.' But even thinking it made him feel more pathetic. This was his only shot at changing everything.
He continued toward the parking lot, Derek's words echoing in his head. 'What if he's right? What if some people really are just born to fail?'
Ten minutes later, Shaun was sliding into the passenger seat of Lily's car, the leather interior smelling like expensive perfume and judgment. The engine was already running, and she pulled out of the parking spot before he'd even closed the door properly.
They drove in silence for a few minutes, the tension thick enough to cut. Shaun fidgeted with his seatbelt, trying to work up the courage to make conversation.
"So..." he finally ventured, "what are your plans after graduation next year?"
Lily's head turned toward him so fast he thought she might get whiplash. The look she gave him was pure disbelief mixed with disgust.
"Do you seriously think we're friends now?" Her voice was ice cold. "I'm doing this out of pity, Shaun. Pure pity. Don't you dare mistake my kindness for anything more than what it is." She turned back to the road, her knuckles white on the steering wheel. "This is a one-time thing because I felt bad watching you struggle to find work. After today, we go back to not knowing each other."
"Sorry," he mumbled, sinking lower into his seat. "I didn't mean..."
"Just don't talk."
The rest of the drive passed in blessed silence. Shaun's house came into view, a modest two-story building that had seen better decades. The paint was peeling slightly around the windows, and the small front lawn needed attention, but it was home. It wasn't much, but his dad had worked hard to keep it after his mom left.
Lily parked in the driveway and looked up at the house with barely concealed disdain. "You live alone?"
"No, with my dad. But he's working a double shift at the factory tonight. Won't be back until morning."
She nodded curtly and got out of the car. "Let's get this over with then."
As they walked toward the front door, Shaun's hands were shaking slightly as he fumbled with his keys. This was it. After today, his Vital Seal would finally show something other than zeros. He'd have a chance at the jobs that required experience, the ones that paid enough to actually build a life.
He just hoped he wouldn't embarrass himself too badly in the process.
The key turned in the lock, and they stepped inside. Lily was already looking around with that same flat expression, taking in the worn furniture and outdated decorations like she was cataloging everything she'd need to forget later.
"So," she said, setting her bag down by the door, "let's get started."